Back in late fall/early winter, I decided to enter WWWF in two different independent publishing/self-pub awards contests. I had done the same for The Golden Orb after it had been published in 2014, and though it never won anything, I did receive some encouraging comments from one of the judges.

The organizers of the first contest to which WWWF was entered sent me a nice email stating it had not won anything, but the judges’ comments would be sent to me soon. Imagine, then, my surprise when I received the email from Jim Barnes, the Managing Editor and Awards Director of IndependentPublisher.com, congratulating me on being an IPPY medalist!

When We Were Forgotten was a difficult book to write for so many reasons. I’m proud of myself for listening to my gut as well as my amazing editors and beta readers and finishing it when I did. Everyday, we’re bombarded with news about the world and the environment, making my little story ever more relevant to our lives. I hope it continues to touch readers as it seems to have touched the judges who deemed it worthy of this medal.

I am honored and humbled. Thank you to everyone who has read my work and supported me through this difficult and awesome adventure called writing. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Now, I’m off to enjoy my tiny bit of celebrity. Look for an announcement soon on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram about a new free promotion on Amazon of the WWWF e-book. Because giving my story away for free (for a week) is how I plan on continuing the celebration!